I am now trying to decide between the fishy pool and the official birth tub kit that I can rent from my MW. Can you lean on the sides of the fishy pools? Will the sides support you in that way? Also, can they handle the hot water without melting?

They are quite firm and you can can lean on the them. I always have. We just just a little water in the bottom of the pool before turning on the hot, hot water and it is fine. Our tank is small for it takes several times to fill the pool, we end up doing pots of water on the stove and that is fine as well. Just don't pour directly on the sides and you are good.

Whitney, I read to fill it up 1/4 with cold water...then the rest with hot water.

Also remember to turn your hot water heater up all the way a week or two before your due date so that you don't run out of hot water.

I'm planning on using the fishy pool when I go into labor. We already have it blown up, but I'm curious if I have blown it up enough. The directions say to fill with air 80%. How do I know when it has reached 80%? I don't want the walls to be too flimsy! I'm sure the pressure of the water will help "fill the walls out" but I'm getting a little nervous about it...

Yep, I leaned on mine! But be sure to use a liner like a shower curtain or specific liner!! We didn't and my poor husband was fishing debris out and scrubbing it down for the hour and a half after I got out. It was awful and he missed a bunch of time. He actually begged me not to use the pool with subsequent births because it was so much extra work on him. So now we just use our bathtub.

Do a test run with the pool this way you know how long it takes to fill, you can tweak anything that needs it, spot potential problems, and decide where you best like the water to end. I think it should be very firm before filled but even so if I kneeled on mine I could feel our hardwood floor. I had to inflate a few times because it leaked so much and repair a hole before birth. No such issue with La Bassine.

I've never used a liner. We threw the fishy pool away rather than clean it because we lived in an apartment and had no storage/further use for it. I cleaned the La Bassine about a week PP with little effort and diluted Dr. B and it was perfect. I think liners are gross and crinkly. If my SO complained about emptying the pool after I carried, labored and birthed our child I'd be pretty disappointed. Poor honey! You had to empty a pool. Next time I'll consider your comfort while in labor There's no reason to empty moments after birth. Later in the day is fine.

Do a test run with the pool this way you know how long it takes to fill, you can tweak anything that needs it, spot potential problems, and decide where you best like the water to end. I think it should be very firm before filled but even so if I kneeled on mine I could feel our hardwood floor. I had to inflate a few times because it leaked so much and repair a hole before birth. No such issue with La Bassine.

I've never used a liner. We threw the fishy pool away rather than clean it because we lived in an apartment and had no storage/further use for it. I cleaned the La Bassine about a week PP with little effort and diluted Dr. B and it was perfect. I think liners are gross and crinkly. If my SO complained about emptying the pool after I carried, labored and birthed our child I'd be pretty disappointed. Poor honey! You had to empty a pool. Next time I'll consider your comfort while in labor There's no reason to empty moments after birth. Later in the day is fine.

First, I agree that a test run is a good idea. Second, liners are completely normal in pools you borrow from a midwife, rent, etc, so I suppose it's a personal comfort level. There are some nice thick inner shower liners that are so smooth and non-crinkly, you don't even notice them on the bed of the pool. And third, I suppose everyone has to act in their own relationships, but I sure hope everyone else considers their spouse/SO's feelings! I couldn't imagine being crass and just saying, "Forget your feelings!" Perhaps I delivered the baby, but his feelings matter and he sure picked up the slack for the next week while I recovered! I'm glad he expressed his feelings instead of lying to me. But I suppose we're all different? A liner can solve a simple problem and I wish someone had mentioned it to me. It is a drowning risk for small, small children when left up. We co-sleep and were in a small space. The idea that our small 2 year old could drown in a deep basin of water while we slept after the 12:30am departure of our midwives (not to mention it was very, very bloodied from significant tearing) was motivation enough to not "just leave it up" for hours. But, like I said, we each work in our own comfort level.